What is Earth's axial tilt?

Earth’s axial tilt is like when Earth is slightly leaning as it spins around the Sun.

Imagine you're holding a toy top, that spinning toy that wobbles a little as it goes round and round. Now, picture Earth like that toy top, but instead of just spinning on its own axis, it's also moving in a big circle around the Sun. The way Earth is tilted, like a slightly leaning top, means different parts of Earth get more sunlight at different times of the year.

Earth’s tilt is about how much sunlight hits each part of the planet. When one side is tilted toward the Sun, that side gets more direct sunlight and has summer. The other side, tilted away, gets less sunlight and has winter.

This tilt doesn’t change, it stays at around 23.5 degrees, like a steady lean. So every year, Earth goes through seasons because of this tilt, not because it’s getting closer or farther from the Sun.

It's like having a friend who leans toward you in class to hear better, they get more attention (sunlight) while the others lean away and get less. That’s how Earth works with its tilt!